According Farmer’s Almanac Naniamo gets an average of 171 frost free days, and the frost free growing season starts on April 28th. Further south in Victoria the average frost free date is April 19th. Expect a first frost around the beginning of November.

Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis) is an evergreen tree native to southern Europe. It has a long history as a culinary and sacred herb. Growing this wonderful Mediterranean herb on Vancouver Island is not difficult, but it requires a little extra care to get it through the winter.

Key Points to Consider

Bay is considered a half hardy perennial in our climatic zone, so unprotected outdoor overwintering is a bit of a gamble.

Young Bay plants, less than five years old, are considerably less hardy than mature plants.

Bay is shallow rooted, so heavy frosts may damage it’s root system.

Bay foliage is damaged in the winter by cold temperatures and wind that produce low humidity conditions that cause the leaves and smaller stems to die back.

Overwintering Outdoors

The first line of defense is to select a sunny protected area with well drained soil for your Bay plant. In the winter, mulch to help protect the root system from frost.

If temperatures are expected to go below -5C cover the entire plant with frost cloth or burlap to help protect the foliage.

Plants may suffer cold or wind damage to the current season’s growth, which can be pruned out in the spring. If the worst happens and a ground-planted bay seems to have all of it’s foliage killed off, prune it back and be patient, there is a good possibility that it will put up new shoots.

Potted Bay Laurel that is going to be kept outdoors, should have the entire pot buried in a sheltered corner of your garden. Then mulch and cover it as described above.

Overwintering Indoors

Potted Bay Laurel that can be moved indoors should be kept in an area that does not go below -5C and near a window for a bit of light. Water your indoor bay very sparingly ( 1 – 3 times per month ), do not fertilize it and keep an eye out for pests. While we are on the subject of Pests, it is also advisable to carefully check over your Bay and remove any pests before bringing it inside. While inside keep it well away from your houseplants to minimize an exchange of pests.

Lovage (Levisticum officinale) this reliable Hardy Perennial is one of the first pants to shoot up in spring. Here on Southern Vancouver Island, it has sprouted up over a foot by the end of March. It is easy to grow but give this plant a lot of room in your garden as it grows over 2 M high.

Leaves have excellent celery like flavor and is used soups, stews and casseroles. The seeds whole or ground are used in pickling brine, cheese spreads, dressings and sauces. Here are a few ideas.

Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium ) has been a popular culinary and medicinal herb since before the times of the Roman Empire. However recently, it seems to be out of favor. To bad , it has a lot going for it …. it’s delicate anise flavor adds depth to a green salad, also it is part of the French herb combination ” Fines Herbes” used as a herb base for many culinary masterpieces. This short lived annual is easy to grow, can be harvested all year and self seeds readily, so keep a moist partial shade area of your herb garden reserved for a Chervil corner.

Bloodroot ( Sanguinaria canadensis ) is native to eastern Canada and an early bloomer here on Vancouver Island. Bloodroot has been used as a red dye by native artists. It is a member of the Papaveraceae (poppy) family.